The present invention relates to urinary incontinence garments and, more particularly, to a unique construction for same and to the construction of an internally situated absorbent pad receiving pouch therein.
It is estimated that, in the United States today, literally millions of adult men and women suffer from urinary incontinence. This condition often leads to inconvenience, awkwardness and embarrassment, with the result that individuals with this problem may curtail their normal activities to avoid detection. To permit such individuals to lead a more normal life, garments designed with urine absorbing capacity are used.
Many different types and designs of garments have been tried. However, in each instance, the garment employed has unacceptable or unpleasant disadvantages, making same less than desirable. Plasticized or rubberized briefs have been used, but have been found to be hot, damp and uncomfortable. Pants made out of paper have also been used, but are objectable to because of the rustling sound and the soreness and chaffing which garments of this construction often cause. Even infant disposable diapers, cut apart and taped to fit, have been tried, but unsuccessfully.
Without doubt, the most important single function of a urinary incontinence garment is to safely and effectively manage urinary incontinence so as to insure that the wearer will not be embarrassed in public. Thus, the primary design objective of the garment is that same function dependably so as to give the wearer confidence to go about his or her daily routine unimpeded.
However, the garment also must be comfortable to wear and, at the same time, be able to be worn discretely so that there are no bulges or other telltale outlines visible when the garment is worn under conventional clothing. Thus, the garment must also always feel comfortable to the wearer, not hot or damp, and it must have the sufficient stretch capability to conform to the wearer's body. It should look and feel soft, not be bulky or cumbersome and must not shift or bind as it is worn.
Further, the incontinence garment must be easy to use. It should be designed to be easy to put on or take off, either by the wearer himself or by one caring for the wearer, in the event that the wearer is ill or senile. In addition, the liquid absorbent portion, generally in the form of a pad, must be easily inserted and removed from the pant in a manner which prevents the hands from touching the wet sections thereof.
The garment must also be easy to launder and, preferably, washable by hand or machine, using conventional detergents. The garment should dry quickly and maintain its shape and neat fit after repeated launderings.
The present invention meets the above criteria by employing a unique construction and specially designed fabrics for the body portion of the garment, as well as for the internally situated pouch into which the absorbent pad is received. The pouch is constructed of a liquid impervious panel adjacent the body portion and a liquid penetrable panel secured along its sides to the body portion. A liquid retention barrier along the sides of the pouch acts to prevent liquid seepage until the liquid can be absorbed by the pad.
It is, therefore, a prime object of the present invention to provide a urinary incontinence garment which is comfortable to wear, being composed of a lightweight knit fabric which is aesthetically pleasing, as well as soft to the touch, and which permits air to penetrate through so that the garment does not feel hot or damp.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a urinary incontinence garment which is highly effective due to the unique structure of the leak-proof pocket, such that it is dependable, providing the wearer with confidence and security.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a urinary incontinence garment which is discrete and, thus, not bulky, cumbersome or detectable, but which affords the wearer freedom to move about with ease.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a urinary incontinence garment which will fit well, retain its shape, not change position and is easy to use, permitting insertion and removal of the pad without removing the garment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a urinary incontinence garment which is reusable such that the fabric washes easily, dries quickly and maintains its shape.
In accordance with the present invention, a urinary incontinence garment is provided having a body portion in the form of pants. A pouch is situated along the interior of the body portion and is adapted to receive an absorbent pad therein. The body portion comprises a knitted fabric. The knitted fabric is formed of interlocked courses of a staple fabric yarn and a bulked continuous filament yarn.
Thus, the body portion comprises alternate courses of different type yarns. Preferably, the alternate courses are regularly interposed with one another and have a one-to-one spacing so as to give the fabric an appearance of vertical ribbing and improve the breathability thereof.
The staple fabric yarn preferably comprises a spun polyester staple yarn or a polypropylene staple yarn, so as to give the garment a soft feel and the appearance of a conventional undergarment. The bulked continuous filament yarn provides the garment with elasticity and improved shape recovery during wear and after washing to insure that the garment maintains a close fit to the body--essential for the prevention of leaks.
The pouch comprises a liquid penetrable panel and a liquid impervious panel. The latter has a first portion situated adjacent the body portion and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the interior of the garment and being affixed to the liquid penetrable panel.
The first portion comprises the central part of the liquid impervious panel and the second portion comprises the sides thereof. The sides are bent toward each other and then affixed to the liquid penetrable panel so as to form liquid retention barrier means along the sides of the pouch.
While the total absorbency of the pads used in the garment is adequate to absorb the normal amount of liquid, the rate of absorbency may be too slow to absorb a large amount of liquid in a short time period, thus causing seepage along the sides of the pad. In order to avoid seepage, the liquid must be retained for a time sufficient to permit the pad to absorb all of the liquid. The liquid retention barrier means created along the sides of the pouch is designed to retain liquid within the pouch until all of the liquid can be absorbed by the pad.
The liquid impervious panel preferably comprises a knitted fabric coated with polyurethane. The knitted fabric itself is preferably nylon or polyester and is preferably transfer coated with a sheet of polyurethane. Such a fabric does not contain a plasticizer and, therefore, cannot harden after washing.
The liquid penetrable panel comprises a knitted fabric composed of polyester yarn. Preferably, the polyester yarn is knitted in a semi-cardigan stitch. The polyester gives the liquid penetrable panel the softness required for this portion of the garment while having minimal liquid absorption characteristics. The semi-cardigan knit results in an open fabric, permitting the maximum possible rate of penetration of liquid.